So, after hitting some bigger sized rocks on two recent rides I decided to mount a steering damper. Wasn't too excited about the cost of some options out there so I decided to give Amazon and a cheaper China product a shot. $45 for the damper and $27 for the Pro-Tek 50mm fork tube bracket.

Couldn't find any aluminum tubing I liked local for the uprights so 2" redi-rod connectors will do for now. I also drilled and tapped the mounting hole for the tank cover to fit the M8 bolt. Lot's of aluminum in there to work with and it's solid. Going to be changing out the black M8x70mm bolts for SS one's as soon as I can find them.

So far the darn thing does what I expected and was surprised at the quality of the Chinese damper. Time will tell of course.

Full lock to lock. Plenty of room.

Links
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DPO6O76/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014H4UF86/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Reduced-Zinc-Plated-Threaded-Couplers/dp/B00IVLY29U/ref=sr_1_cc_6?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1470435121&sr=1-6-catcorr&keywords=threaded+rod+coupler
https://www.amazon.com/Internal-Partially-Threaded-M8-1-25-Threads/dp/B000OD0T2C/ref=sr_1_13?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1470435180&sr=1-13&keywords=M8+70mm

* Last updated by: Cuff on 8/5/2016 @ 4:14 PM *

Nice Cuff. Chinese stuff seems to be getting better and better because they're getting better at ripping stuff off. Still nice to know there's something that doesn't cost $400 if you don't want to spend that much. Will be interesting to see how it holds up, and even small things like anodize fading.

Thanks Vic. You're right about the quality getting better. I should add the M8 bolts are 60mm and not 70mm in case anyone want's to put one together.

Sorry to be the negative Nancy here and no disrespect Cuff but I will never understand why cheap unreliable Chinese copies are considered when it comes to safety.
This unit is obviously based on the Hyperpro and the price of the copy tells you all you need to know. The externals might look passable but the internals would tell a different story.

This Chinese version may be just fine. But then it may let you down exactly when you need it most and if it does its all too late.
There is no possible way to know for sure until the time comes.
And that second guessing is why I would never play with safety on my motorbike...

/\ THAT ....

No disrespect taken at all, fair statement. To me if this part fails it will only result in the loss of dampening just like when Kawasaki first sold the bike.

I buy good tires, brakes and chains. The rest is a balance of cost vs. reward.

Having said that I've seen expensive parts fail just as much as cheap ones and to assume price=reliability is a leap of faith for me. Maintenance and monitoring are far more important to me than the name on my parts. And often these days the expensive parts are made side by side of the cheap ones. Marketing.

That's a beautiful copy of the Hyper-Pro and you probably can order the Hyper-Pro brackets which look a bit superior in strength to what you have.

Is it a progressive damper---Gets tighter as the steering input speed increases? Or is it a more typical linear damper that is alway set to the tension you have selected? Either way, nice piece and good buy. Cheap insurance and I'd sat justifiably cheap on the 14 which is not prone to speed wobbles. If you feel it working, it's working. You can't tell with a progressive damper but you'll probably notice the difference after riding with it a long time and then taking it off for a while.

Yeah, I'm not pessimistic about quality with cheap Asian copies at all. The cheap Asian parts I have are all as good as the costly Western parts I have. Bought Pazzo levers and Chinazzos and both are same but you need to drill the pin hole a bit deeper on the Chinazzos. The Pazzo actually failed so I doubt the copy is any worse. I've purchased two expensive Italian gas caps....nice and lightweight but the Chinese gas cap I have is just as good, albeit no lighter than OEM (easy to solve that with some drilling and a dremmel. Chinese axle sliders....just fine. Heard Chinese brake rotors were great, too. Chinese rearsets got the green light too. So far, I have only trusted simple Chinese parts that had few or no moving parts but my confidense is building. Then there is the issue of business ethics but when you're on a budget....sheesh!

* Last updated by: Rook on 8/5/2016 @ 8:48 PM *

As for the damper Rook it's linear from initial tests. I can't sense any increase in resistance but I haven't hit any bumps yet that would cause issue. The insurance, as you say, is just that. I didn't like the feel from some of the new bumps and surprise rocks on recent 'spirited' rides. One could say I was just going beyond my limit but when the rock is moving they are hard to anticipate. Lot's of mountains and cliff sides out here.

Either way I'm happy and like you say, no moving important parts are on the cheap.

Also, I too have the Pazzo long levers and wanted to try some shorty's before investing in the short Pazzo's so it was off to Amazon again for the test parts. Very, very surprised with the quality but again, time will tell.

As for the ethical issue I don't have a problem. Business is business and if you want my money companies will have to earn it but that's for another thread. I'm not a charity when it comes to buying fun parts but I am a charity when it comes to our local Children's Charity Fund and PTSD awareness organization though.

To me if this part fails it will only result in the loss of dampening just like when Kawasaki first sold the bike.

.. Unless it happens to lock up mid-turn

You're all right. It will probably burst into flames and explode while in my garage burning my house to the ground.

I hope it doesn't lock up but more likely it could start to leak or lose damping after a year. Instead of sending it in to Hyper-Pro for service (which they recomend doing once/year), just get a new one.

Lock up mid-turn? This happens!??

You personally have seen this happen?

Oh yeah, all the time. Usually a squid on his GSXR on Latagio Canyon in Malibu. When the tank slapper input frequency approaches the resonate frequency of the $17 damper the stiffness goes to infinity. The damper becomes a brick (not the same as the one CBLAST created). The Sesame oil they put in those $17 dampers burst into flames and your blue Mohawk on your helmet catches on fire just before the gas tank explodes.

Seriously, there's a reason why a GPR V4 cost $500. In the same vane as a $17 helmet on sale at Cycle Gear vs an Arai carbon fiber lightweight - which helmet do you wear?

* Last updated by: cruderudy on 8/9/2016 @ 5:14 PM *

ooof!-- I got a $26 helmet.

I think you done good Cuff.

Thanks BigRed. The internet is a funny thing.

"The damper becomes a brick (not the same as the one CBLAST created)"

Thats cold blooded Cruderudy...

* Last updated by: yannih on 8/10/2016 @ 12:37 AM *

Cuff, I'm curious why you didn't use the mounting pieces that use the handlebar bolts instead of the fork clamp. Available from the same people who make the damper.
I was thinking of putting one on just because it was pretty...

Mad

Maddevil,

I used the fork clamp just for ease of install. It was going to be the same level as the air box cover hole I used. Just easier when buying (or as it turns out making) the support posts. Two parts the same length was one less variable for me. Oh yeah, and cheaper from what I could find. Though if I looked harder I'm sure the price would have been the same.

I'm sure either would work well though.

As a suggestion if you have any concerns about the threads you tapped getting pulled out due to the force from the dampener use helicoil inserts they're not cheap but super strong.

It does sound like a good deal and I completely agree with the sentiment that "more expense does not mean better". My biggest concerns would be the dampener locking up mid turn.

Not trying to be a downer but mebgardner asked if its ever happened, I had a former coworker disappeared for the better part of a year from work and I found out his ignition/locking cylinder on his bike rattled its way to the locked position mid corner causing him to go through a guard rail and a 100' down a steep cliff, very lucky to still be alive. While its not a steering dampener that failed, still a component of the steering of the motorcycle and it had huge repercussions.

The only thing the more expensive manufacturers give you that the Chinese copy does not is someone to sue if there's a major problem since I already stated that I think price does not equal quality. Companies that have been doing this for a long time have a proven track record and have an interest in staying in business. A company overseas can simply throw a new sticker over their company logo and they are untouchable.

That all being said, I hope this works out really well for you, its a good find and I suspect you'll be happy with it in the end and at worst might have a leaky seal or faded finish.

Thanks for that Nightmare. Good point about legal issues but up here we have strict limits on liability and pay outs. Besides, you can't eliminate every risk in life. That's why we ride, no?

I found out his ignition/locking cylinder on his bike rattled its way to the locked position mid corner causing him to go through a guard rail and a 100' down a steep cliff, very lucky to still be alive.

Cuff, agreed :)

Rook, there's a tiny little piece of metal that pushes into a slot on the steering stem, probably would just need to cut it off to disable it. Although an extremely rare scenario, but in my colleague's case the manufacturer had installed the locking cylinder incorrectly, but what was scary was it was something like switching 2 components, it was flat washer, locking washer, flat washer when it should have been flat washer, flat washer, locking washer.

Scary. There's one lawsuit against an Asian company that would stick. i wonder how many steering locks left the plant before the poor SOB figured out he was putting it together wrong? Hope it was just that one by accident.

Not trying to be a downer but mebgardner asked if its ever happened, I had a former coworker disappeared for the better part of a year from work and I found out his ignition/locking cylinder on his bike rattled its way to the locked position mid corner causing him to go through a guard rail and a 100' down a steep cliff, very lucky to still be alive. While its not a steering dampener that failed, still a component of the steering of the motorcycle and it had huge repercussions.

Wow, what a ... Nightmare.